China is going to launch a spacecraft named Chang’e-5 by the end of this year for collecting samples from the dark side of the moon.

At the beginning of the year 2019, China launched its spacecraft Chang’e 4 that landed on the dark side of the moon. China is now all set to launch another probe called Chang’e 5 by the end of this year to collect samples from the moon.

Chang’e 5 is an extension of Chang’e 4 spacecraft. This probe will help in the further study and understanding of the moon.

During one of the briefings, Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), said that Chang’e 5 mission will be launched by the end of this year. Further, in the year 2020 another probe will be launched to be sent to Mars.

Yanhua also stated that Chang’e 5 probe’s mission is to set a foundation for further probes to be sent to the moon’s south pole and conceivably to return samples from the most distant side of the moon.

According to Yanhua, the tests completed by future missions could lay the foundation for expanding on the moon's surface. They would also test advances like 3D printing, and the utilization of moon soil in construction.

China’s previously launched probe, Chang’e 4 made its soft landing on the moon on January 3, 2019. This probe provided the first ever close image of the far side of the moon.

Chang’e 4 took three days to travel to the moon. This mission was executed to help understand the dark mysterious parts of the moon, its composition, and the structure of its rocks.

Chang’e 4’s mission included inspecting the moon’s land, making observations related to astronomy, measuring the neutral atoms and neutron radiation, and studying the composition of minerals.

Moon is rotating at the same rate it orbits our planet Earth. Due to this the Earth always faces the same side of the moon and the far side of the moon remains invisible to us.

Being on the far side of the moon is a challenge as there is no direct contact with the earth, but China overcame this communication hurdle by putting a relay satellite in orbit around the moon in May 2018.

China is further planning to launch construction of its own manned space station in the next year.

The China National Space Administration (CNSP) has made space exploration a matter of great importance. China is all set to catch up with the United States and Russia, the leading powers in space.